Now from all these considerations, a child of God may form up this sixth plea as to the ten scriptures in the margin, i that refer to the great day of account, or to a man's particular account. 0 blessed God, Jesus Christ ivas a common person, a representative head : I am to he considered in him, loho is my surety, and therefore he is hound to pay all my debts : and as he is a common person and stood in my
1 Eccles. xi. 9, and xii. 14 ; Mat. xii. 14, and xviii. 23 ; Luke xvi. 3; Rom. iv. 10 j 2 Cor. V. 10 ; Heb. ix. 27, and xiii. 17, and 1 Pet. iv. 5.
THE SURETYSHIP OF CHRIST CONSIDERED OF. 257
stead, 80 the satisfaction that is made unto tliy justice hy him, is m law to be accounted mine, as really as if my attorney should pay a debt for me: and therefore, I must rest satisfied that the debt is paid, and in law shall never be exacted of me ; though it loas not paid by myself in person, but by another ivho did personate me in tJiat act, and did it for me and in my behalf Christ was a common person, per- sonating as a second Adam, the first Adam and all his posterity ; offering the same nature for sin, which fell by sin from the pattern of perfection, God himself. ' By man came death, and by man came the resurrection from the dead,' 1 Cor. xv. 21 ; man for man, person for per- son, nature for nature, and name for name. There are two roots out of which life and death springs. (1.) As all that die receive their death- wounds by the disobedience of the first Adam; so all that live receive life from the obedience of the second Adam. (2.) As all die who are the sons of the first Adam by natural generation ; so all live, who are the sons of the second Adam through spiritual regeneration. 0 holy and blessed God, thou hast set up Jesus Christ as a common person, as the repre- sentative head of all thy elect, and I am to be considered in that com- mon head ; and all that he has done as my head, and in my stead and room, is to be reckoned to me, as if I had done it in my own person, and by this plea I will stand, rejoice, and triumph. Upon this God accepts of the plea, as sound and good, and saith to him that pleads it, ' enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,' Mat. xxv. 21.
VII. The seventh plea that a believer may form up, as to the ten scriptures formerly cited, that refer to the great day of account, or to a man's particular account, may be drawn from the consideration of Christ's suretyship. Christ is called a surety : Heb. vii. 22, ' By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.' The Greek word ''E<y'yvo<i, sponsor, fidejussor, prces, a surety, a pledger, is very signi- ficative, being derived, as some think, from yvibv, an hand, as it were iv 'yvLol<f, in hands, because the security or pledge is given in hand.l A surety is properly one that willingly promiseth and undertakes to pay and discharge the debt, if the debtor fail, and be not able to make satisfaction himself. Thus Paul willingly and spontaneously, from the love he had to his new convert Onesimus, promised and undertook to make satisfaction to Philemon, for any wrong that Onesimus had done him : Philem. 18, 19, ' If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put it upon mine account ; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it,' i.e., account Onesimus his debt to Paul, and Paul's satisfaction or payment to Onesimus ; which answers the double imputation in point of justification, that is, of our sins or debts to Christ, and of Christ's satisfaction to us. Consider Christ as a surety, and so he hath fully paid all our debts, and set us perfectly free for ever. A surety is one that enters into bond, and engages him- self for the debt of another ; and so Christ is become our surety. Therefore he was bound by our bond, and engageth himself for the
^ Our English translation hath it, ' Of a better testament,' but not so fitly, because, properly, a testament, neither useth nor needeth to have a surety, as a covenant doth., Beza therefore justly blameth both Erasmus and the Vulgar translation, for rendering it * testament;' for that a surety is not added in testaments ; and it should be added, howj can the same be both a testator and a surety ? So that this word * surety,' hath refer- ence properly to a covenant, and.not to a testament
258 THE SURETYSHIP OF CHRIST COXSIDERED OF.